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The differences between a built-in closet and a walk-in aren’t that different from a built-in wardrobe and a walk-in closet. It’s fairly simple—a walk-in closet is a closet you can physically enter, stand in, and walk around in. A built-in (whether wardrobe or closet) is more akin to covered shelves installed into a recess in the wall. Another big difference is walk-in closets almost always have traditional full-size doors, while built-ins either have no doors or use sliding doors.

Different types of closets are defined mostly by size. A few different types of closets include:

• A reach-in closet is a smaller closet that you can stand in front of and reach everything inside it. Aside from the size, the doors and the level of drywall finish are typically the largest price factors.  

• A walk-in closet can be anything from a small 5-by-5 feet closet that has a narrow walkway with shelves on both sides to a 100 square foot bedroom-sized closet with shelving along the walls and plenty of room to move around in.

• A built-in wardrobe often does not have a door and leaves the clothes and other contents open to the room, whereas a closet usually has a door to separate it from the rest of the room.

Walk-in closets are always the biggest and can easily be more than 100 square feet. Primary bedroom closets, even if not walk-ins, are the second largest category in most homes and sit between 30 and 80 square feet. Linen closets, utility closets, and built-in closets are smaller and, depending on their usage, tend to be between 10 and 50 square feet.

How many days it takes to remodel a closet will also depend on the scale of the project. Small changes like installing a prefab kit will eat up an afternoon and no more, while a total renovation could require several days to a week. If you’re planning for the latter, plan to secure other sleeping arrangements while construction is ongoing.